The Nation’s Oldest Indoor Mall Is Here In Rhode Island

These days, we hear a lot about malls closing down – but what we think of as malls tends to be a big ugly concrete box. Most people don’t realize that the history of malls in America goes back much further than the 90s mall heydey – and not all malls look like what we envision. Even fewer people know that the very first enclosed shopping mall in America was built right here in Rhode Island!

If you've spent much time in Providence, then you've surely at least walked by the Providence Arcade, a building that stands out for its massive Greek Revival pillars. It's been opened and closed so many times over the years, though, that you may not be aware of the fascinating history of this space.

The Arcade was built in 1828 and was the very first enclosed shopping mall in America! It took some time to catch on with 19th century customers, but once it did it brought many new businesses to the west side of the Providence River.

The shopping center, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, reopened again in 2013, this time with a mix of retail space and microlofts for city dwellers who want to live downtown on a budget.